Chocolate Pecan Pie Gooey Butter Cake

If you like pecan pie, you’ll love this Pecan Pie Gooey Butter Cake! A combination of classic pecan pie, gooey butter cake, and chocolate makes a tasty twist of two traditional treats!

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Chocolate Pecan Pie Gooey Butter Cake

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. Yes, this cake is not the most attractive dessert around, but it is absolutely the most delicious! A cake this good doesn’t even need the good looks because just the smell of it will draw you in. 

It takes two of my favorite things, pecan pie, and gooey butter cake, and combined into one rich, sweet, velvety layered cake dessert. The pecan pie filling and dark chocolate crust make literal bites of heaven you won’t be able to resist. 

This pecan pie gooey butter cake will disappear from the pan so fast, no one will even have time to notice it’s a bit of the ugly duckling on the dessert table.

What is Gooey Butter Cake?

If you’re not from St.Louis, you might be scratching your head right now saying to yourself “what the heck is gooey butter cake?” Well, let me enlighten you! 

Gooey butter cake is a St.Louis staple that was eventually made popular when a recipe appeared in a Paula Dean cookbook. While the queen of all things butter might have popularized the dish, don’t be mistaken, this cake stared out in St.Louis. 

Gooey butter cake can be described as a flat and dense cake made with cake flour, butter, sugar, and eggs, typically near an inch tall, and dusted with powdered sugar. While sweet and rich, it is somewhat firm and is able to be cut into pieces similar to a brownie.

Essentially it’s little squares of heaven!

How To Make Pecan Pie Gooey Butter Cake

Gooey butter cake is one of those desserts that’s a good no effort dessert that will never disappoint. Heck the dessert itself was created because of a kitchen mishap, so even if you mess up, odds are you might even come out with something even better. 

To make this pecan pie gooey butter cake, just combine the cake mix, egg and melted butter until well combined, then press the dough into the prepared pan with your fingers. In another mixing bowl whisk together all of the pecan pie filling ingredients except for the pecans. Stir in the pecans and pour and spread onto the dough layer.

Next, you’ll blend, the cream cheese, beaten eggs, and powdered sugar, in an electric mixer until smooth. Once mixed well, you’ll spread the filling over the pie filling layer. To bake the cake, place the cake pan on a baking sheet and carefully place in the preheated oven and bake until the edges are brown. Cool cake on a cooling rack. Dust with powdered sugar after cake has cooled completely.

Tips For Making The Best Pecan Pie Gooey Butter Cake

• When it comes to using box cake mixes, I swear by the Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate cake mix. It has always been my favorite and works perfectly for gooey butter cake recipes. This recipe will work just fine with any other cake mix too. 
• Do NOT prepare the cake mix as directed on the box. You are simply using the cake mix to make a crust layer for the gooey butter cake, so you want it to be much denser. Prepare the cake mix as directed in the instruction for best results
• The cake is at it’s best when served a day after it’s made. So if you plan to make the recipe try to make it a day ahead, and resist the urge to dig in right away. 

Do I Have To Use A Cake Mix To Make Gooey Butter Cake?

You don’t have to use a box mix to make this delicious pecan pie gooey butter cake, but as I always say, if you can make a recipe easier, why not? I’ve always used mixes for my gooey butter cake recipes, and they are always a huge hit and taste just as good as any bakery made gooey butter cake. 

If you really want to make this completely from scratch, here’s how you can make your own chocolate cake mix from scratch. 

Ways To Serve and Store Pecan Pie Gooey Butter Cake

This pecan pie gooey butter cake is the ideal dessert to serve at your next Thanksgiving party. While the dessert table will be overcrowded with pumpkin and pecan pies galore, your pecan pie gooey butter cake will shine bright and have everyone fighting over who gets a piece. 

You can store the cake either in the refrigerator or on the counter for up to 5 days. The cake will remain gooier if left at room temperature, so if you would prefer the cake to be firmer, I suggest storing it in the refrigerator. 

Can I Freeze Gooey Butter Cake?

Yes, you can freeze your pecan pie gooey butter cake. To freeze the cake, be sure to let it cool completely, and either section off the pieces you want to freeze or take the whole cake and place into an airtight container. Store the leftovers on a flat surface in the freezer for up to four months. 

Try Even More Gooey Butter Cake Recipes!

Gooey Butter Cake – Where the cake becomes the crust and holds a gooey cream cheese filling. This coffee cake is generally served for breakfast but can easily make an appearance on any dessert table.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake – it’s not fall without a slice of autumn magic that’s impossible to resist

Nutella Gooey Butter Cake – Nutella adds a delicious twist to a St. Louis tradition, and is a great addition to parties or potlucks and can be prepared up to three days in advance, getting better with time.

Chocolate Chip Gooey Butter Cake – A  St. Louis specialty with a chocolate twist, Chocolate Chip Gooey Butter Cake, couldn’t be easier to make and everyone is sure to love it!

Carrot Cake Gooey Butter Cake – We are giving the traditional Gooey Butter Cake a spring twist with all the flavors of our favorite carrot cake! It’s a spice cake chock-full of real carrots with cream cheese and pecan gooey filling to put it over the top

Gooey Butter Peanut Butter Cookies – You know it’s a good cookie when they disappear fast!  That’s exactly what happened when I made these amazing cookies that are a take on a classic dessert.

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Tools used to make this pecan pie gooey butter cake

Oblong baking dish: This baking dish is perfect for cakes, casseroles, and almost anything you need to bake in the oven, plus it has a lid for easy storing. 

Stainless steel strainer: You’ll need one of these strainers to get that perfectly dusted gooey butter cake and give it the bakery flair. 

Glass mixing bowl set: Everyone should have a good set of mixing bowls in their kitchen. This set is my favorite because the variety of sizes means I always have exactly what I need available.